Awake
by PichuAuraGuardian18
Summary: After an accident involving a Thunderbolt, Ash finds himself stuck in two parallel universes every time he falls asleep and wakes up. But which one is real and which one is a dream? Advanceshipping/Pearlshipping collaboration by PichuAuraGuardian18 and The Shiny Gengar.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, everybody! For those who celebrate it, Happy Memorial Day! Now, how can I find a way to make this an even more memorable Memorial Day? Oh, wait! I know!**

**THE ULTIMATE COLLABORATION!**

**Okay, for those of you who read the Shiny Gengar's stories, some of you may have heard that he was looking for somebody to work with on an awesome Advanceshipping/Pearlshipping collaboration. Well, guess who answered the call? Yeah, that's right! Me, the Lightning Writer of Aura! Anyway, I think it's time to introduce you all to our new story: "Awake"!**

**Oh, yeah. Disclaimer: Neither PichuAuraGuardian18 nor The Shiny Gengar own Pokemon or its characters.**

Chapter 1

"_Dreaming or awake, we perceive only events that have meaning to us." – Jane Roberts_

A loud roar of screaming overtook the entire stadium as Ash Ketchum took the field. All of the years he had spent traveling and training to become the very best led up to this point.

Ever since he had started his journey back in his hometown of Pallet, Ash had done all that he could to fulfill his dream of becoming a Pokémon Master. This dream was a strong one that guided his very lifestyle, leading him to all kinds of new places like Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and even Unova.

Now, after all of that training, he had reached one the highest points of his training career: the Pokémon World Tournament. This tournament was where the greatest trainers from all around the world battled it out for the chance to become as world-renowned as the Elite Four or even the Champions. As such, Ash Ketchum was one of those trainers.

Today was the day when he was to battle against one of his toughest rivals of all time, Paul, his rival from the Sinnoh Region. Out of all of his rivals, Paul was one of the only ones to be able to equal him in battle strength.

In the crowd, many of Ash's friends were scattered all throughout the stands, including his best friend Brock and a certain blue-eyed girl that was very close to him.

Ash gave a happy sigh as he thought about this girl. For a few months now, they had been going out. Well, they had started going out once she had gotten it through his thick skull that she liked him. Surprisingly, he had never even known that she had liked him so much. Maybe he really was as dense as a Geodude like everybody said.

Oddly enough, he began to think back to the conversation he had last night with these two best friends of his.

* * *

(Flashback)

_"Looks like I'm up against Paul tomorrow," Ash said as he looked out the window of the room that the Pok__é__mon World Council had provided him with during the tournament. _

_ Ash really did enjoy the sight. It gave him a perfect view of the stadium where all of the main battles would be taking place now that the preliminaries were over. As such, Ash had won the battles with flying colors._

_ "Isn't this awesome, Pikachu?" Ash said to his partner who currently sat on his shoulder. "We finally made it."_

_ "Pika-chu!" Pikachu nodded in agreement. _

_ "And tomorrow, we're going up against Paul," Ash sighed. The thought of facing his long-time rival filled him with both excitement and worry. Would he be able to best his rival this time? Or would the Sinnoh native come out as the victor, leaving him the loser?_

_ All of the sudden, there was a knock on the door, causing Ash to turn around quickly to see two familiar faces smiling at him._

_ "Ash! Pikachu!" The blue-eyed beauty squealed in happiness._

_ "Pika!" Pikachu gave the girl a wave._

_ "Well, how's it going?" Brock asked with a smirk. "You feel at home in this room or what?"_

_ Ash looked around at all of the clothes he had left lying around in the few days that he had been there. He had never been the neatest person in the world, and all of the non-stop battles that he had either participated in or watched had kept him busy._

_ "Heh-heh-heh," Ash chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I haven't exactly had much time for organization."_

_ "Ash, what would your mother say if she saw this?" His girlfriend scolded him with her hands on her hips and an angry look that maybe really could kill._

_ Ash gulped in fear at the thought of what his mother would have done if this had been his own room. Sometimes, his mother could be as nice and cheerful as a Pichu, but when she really got mad at him, she was scarier than even a Gengar._

_ The girl's anger soon subsided as she sighed and said, "Well, I guess that I can help you out since you're battling in the tournament."_

_ "Speaking of which, how did the Grand Festival go?" Ash inquired._

_ The blue-eyed coordinator placed her hand to her chin as she remembered all of the appeals and battles that took place during the biggest contest of the year._

_ "It was interesting," She said contemplatively. "I'll have to tell you about it later."_

_ Ash groaned. "I wish that I had been able to make it!"_

_ "Well, you'll have to make it up to me," The girl smiled coyly. _

_ Ash's eyes widened as his imagination began to get the best of him. Before it could go too far, however, Brock, the self-proclaimed "ladies' man", interrupted him, which was strangely ironic._

_ "So, Ash," The future Pok__é__mon Doctor began. "Are you ready for this? I mean, you are facing Paul after all."_

_ Ash's thoughts turned to his rival, the purple-haired powerhouse trainer of Sinnoh. Paul and Ash had never had the best relationship of rivals, but in any case, it was clear that they balanced each other out, almost like yin and yang._

_ "Paul is a tough rival," Ash said as he looked back out the window over the field that he would be battling his rival on the next morning. "But I know that we can win. With my Pok__é__mon by my side, we can win any battle."_

_ "Pika-chu!" Pikachu fist-pumped in excitement._

(End Flashback)

* * *

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted when he felt something tug the leg of his jeans. He looked down to see the small, yellow mouse-like Pokémon that had been with him from the start gesturing towards the battlefield set before them.

Ash looked towards it and smiled. It really was a magnificent battlefield.

"Welcome, everyone, to the First Round of the Pokémon World Tournament!" An announcer's voice could be heard over the loud speakers all throughout the stadium.

Thousands upon thousands of screaming fans could be heard in the rows surrounding the battlefield. It was as if they had managed to fit the entire population of the world into the very large stadium.

"The first battle taking place will be between two very promising trainers by the names of Ash of the Kanto Region and Paul of the Sinnoh Region!" The announcer continued. "And now, let us go to our official referee to hear the rules of this battle!"

Ash turned and looked at the referee as he waited to hear about exactly what kind of battle that he and Paul would be battling in.

"This will be a three-on-three battle with no substitutions where the winner will be determined by the number of victories that each trainer has at the end of the battle!" The referee said to the crowd. "Once both trainers are ready, we will begin the battle!"

Ash looked into the cold black eyes of his rival, who stood opposite of him on the other side of the field. All of their previous battles had led up to this fierce encounter of titans. In the back of his mind, Ash had a feeling that this battle would change their lives forever.

"Ash!" Paul called out to him. "I hope that you're ready. I'm much stronger than the last time we met."

"So are we," Ash replied with a grin. "Let's give this our all."

With that, each trainer took a Pokéball from their belts and prepared to throw out their most powerful forces to face off against each other.

"Torterra, standby for battle!" Paul yelled as he hurled the Pokéball in his hand to the field.

In a burst of blue light, the Sinnoh native's starter Pokémon appeared, landing onto the ground with a thud.

"Terra!" The Continent Pokémon grunted as it glared at Ash and Pikachu.

"So Paul's going with Torterra first, huh?" Ash muttered.

He then threw his Pokéball into the air and shouted out, "Infernape, I choose you!"

Instantly, the Fire/Fighting-type monkey-like Pokémon from the Sinnoh region appeared onto the field, giving an amused grin as it prepared to battle.

"In-fer-nape!" Infernape bellowed while pounding his fists up against his chest in an effort to show off his strength.

Time stood still as everyone waited for the referee to give the trainers the okay to begin the battle. If this wasn't the tensest moment of the events that were to take place today, Ash didn't know what was.

Finally, the referee held both of the red and green flags up into the air and proclaimed to the crowd, "Begin!"

"Infernape, start off with Mach Punch!" Ash commanded.

Infernape's eyes flashed yellow before it began to run straight towards its foe with a fist blazing in a light blue energy ready to punch.

"Torterra, Withdraw!" Paul instructed.

Torterra bent its head down and got down upon its knees as Infernape came and struck it in the back.

After striking Torterra with the Mach Punch, Infernape did a backflip and landed back in front of Ash. Both the Pokémon and the trainer's eyes widened when they saw what that one simple Mach Punch had ended up doing.

At the moment, Torterra was bouncing and spinning around all over the battlefield. Every time that it would hit a wall, it would simply rebound off of it and keep going like a top.

Ash had a confounded look on his face as he watched the Continent Pokémon ricochet all over the place. What was this, a Pokémon version of pinball?

"Infernape, slow it down with Flamethrower!" Ash ordered.

Infernape took a deep breath before releasing a red-orange stream of fire from its mouth at Torterra.

As the beam of fire hit the Grass/Ground-Type Pokémon, the flames seemed to spiral around its body, preventing any serious damage that it might have gotten normally from the super-effective attack.

"Aw, great," Ash groaned as he face-palmed himself. Not even a Flamethrower could stop it! They just had to find some way to stop Torterra's spinning completely.

Then, all of the sudden, an idea popped into the raven-haired trainer's mind.

"Infernape, use Dig to make a pit to stop Torterra!" Ash directed.

Infernape nodded before jumping up into the air and then diving down into the ground.

At that point, Torterra came spinning towards the hole that Infernape had dug, which was by now a pit large enough to fit the large turtle, Paul's Pokémon fell into it. Once Torterra had landed inside of the hole, it stopped spinning altogether.

"Now we've got it," Ash grinned. "Infernape! Come out and use Flare Blitz!"

Infernape immediately popped out of another hole that it had dug and jumped into the air. Then, its body became surrounded by red-orange fire before it shot towards Torterra like a missile. As it flew through the air towards its opponent, the fire around Infernape's body turned light blue.

Ash smirked. Now that Torterra was trapped in that pit, there was no way that it could avoid Infernape's strongest attack. This round seemed to be in the bag.

"Torterra, stop it with Stone Edge!" Paul hollered out.

Three blue rings suddenly surrounded Torterra's body. The rings soon turned white before forming into chunks of gray stones that continued to circle around it. Torterra's eyes then glowed green and it fired the stones at the oncoming Infernape.

As the stones pelted against the flaming torpedo that was Infernape, the Flame Pokémon cringed a bit in pain and its attack began to falter until it soon crash-landed into the ground.

"Infernape!" Ash cried out in worry.

"Torterra! Climb out of that hole with Rock Climb!" Paul yelled.

Torterra's claws glowed white and they grew longer. It then ran towards the wall of the pit that it was currently in and climbed out of the hole with ease.

Once Torterra had climbed out of the hole, it began a stare-down with Infernape, who was struggling to stand up after the damage that it had received from Torterra's Stone Edge attack.

"Infernape, let's get things moving with a little Close Combat!" Ash called out.

Infernape grinned and then ran towards Torterra at a super-fast speed. Strangely, the latter made no attempt to avoid the attack.

As Infernape came up to its opponent, it began punching and kicking it repeatedly with lightning fast speed. Torterra winced slightly from the damage that it was taking, but it still continued to stand.

"Follow it up with Flame Wheel!" Ash continued.

Infernape jumped into the air and somersaulted as the flame on its head extended and covered its entire body. It then rolled into Torterra, who continued to take in the damage, despite how much pain that it was in.

"Now, finish it off with Overheat!" Ash shouted.

Infernape's body turned red and it released a powerful orange-yellow fire with an orange flame spiraling around it from its mouth at Torterra. As the attack hit its mark, an explosion occurred that covered the field in a fog of black smoke.

"We did it!" Ash celebrated happily.

"Pi-ka-chu!" Pikachu said while giving its signature two-fingered peace sign.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Paul yelled over to Ash, stopping his celebration in its tracks.

"Huh?" Ash said in confusion. He looked back at the field and his eyes then widened in shock.

As the smoke cleared, everyone could see Torterra still standing strong despite all of the damage it had taken.

"Grab Infernape with Frenzy Plant!" Paul commanded.

Torterra's body became outlined in green and it slammed its front two legs into the ground. Then, all of the sudden, giant roots with spikes on them came out of the ground.

"In-fer-nape!" Infernape shrieked in shock as the roots wrapped around its body tightly and lifted it up into the air.

"Infernape!" Ash yelled.

"Pikapika!" Pikachu echoed, also worried about its teammate.

Ash grimaced. He knew that Torterra would have to wait before being able to attack again, but unless they could get Infernape out of the vines, the Flame Pokémon was doomed.

Then, Ash had an idea. "Infernape, get out of there with Fury Swipes!"

Infernape's fingers began to glow white, and then, it used its hands to slash its way out of the roots that were currently strangling it. Seconds later, it landed back onto the ground, free as a Pidgey.

"Nice work, Infernape!" Ash grinned. "Now, let's hit Torterra hard with one last Mach Punch!"

Infernape nodded eagerly and then ran at a super-fast speed towards Torterra and punched it in the back with a glowing light blue fist.

"Awesome!" Ash cheered. However, the Pallet Town trainer didn't notice the smirk on his rival's face.

"Crunch," Paul said with a sneer.

Slowly but surely, Torterra bit its jaws down upon Infernape's tail, causing the latter to scream in pain.

"Now, Giga Drain!" Paul ordered.

The three mountains on Torterra's back glowed green, and then green energy beams extended from the tops of the mountains at Infernape, wrapping it up as they began to drain energy from it.

"Infernape, you've got to get out of there!" Ash hollered out to his Pokémon.

Infernape attempted to free itself from the glowing green tendrils, but was unfortunately unable to. Eventually, however, the energy beams went back into the mountains on Torterra's back.

"Let's wrap this up," Paul said with a smirk. "Use Return!"

"Return?" Ash repeated in confusion.

At its trainer's command, Torterra began to rush towards the nearest wall with Infernape's tail still trapped in its jaws. Then, it slammed itself into the wall, along with Infernape, creating a cloud of dust that shrouded the both of them.

Once the dust finally cleared, Torterra slowly backed away from the wall, allowing everyone to see Infernape, who was now lying on the ground unconscious with swirls in its eyes.

"Infernape is unable to battle!" The referee announced. "Torterra is the winner!"

Ash's eyebrows furrowed as he returned Infernape back into its Pokéball. Paul now had one victory while Ash had none. However, there were still two more rounds, and Ash still had a chance to win.

"This battle ain't over yet," Ash said confidently as he took the Pokéball of his second choice into his hand. "Not by a long shot."

* * *

As the two rivals continued to battle it out in this intense battle, a beautiful-looking woman with blonde hair and gray eyes sat high in the stands overlooking the battle. A smile crept its way onto her face as she watched them and their Pokémon battle one another.

"They sure have come far since they first met back in Sinnoh," Cynthia, also known as the Champion of the Sinnoh Region, said with remembrance. "No matter what the outcome of this battle, those two will one day be legendary."

Suddenly, a powerful explosion occurred on the battle, causing the entire crowd to gasp in awe.

Cynthia chuckled a bit. "Maybe even fiercer."

* * *

Meanwhile, another figure watched the match in interest. As they continued to battle, a menacing sneer appeared on his face.

"So what my associates have told me about him is true," He said with an impressed look on his face. "He is strong."

His lips curled as he thought about the plans he had in store for the tournament. "No matter what, even if he wins or loses this battle, I will most definitely have to challenge this one."

* * *

"Gliscor, use Giga Impact!" Ash instructed.

"Gliiiiiiiscor!" The bluish-purple vampire bat-like Pokémon yelled as it flew straight towards the large Drapion that it had been fighting fiercely for the past ten minutes.

As it gained speed, Gliscor's body became surrounded by a purple aura accompanied with yellow-orange streaks of light. Eventually, it slammed its body with all of its might into the Ogre Scorp Pokémon.

Upon impact, an explosion occurred, blinding everyone's view of the field with a fog of dark smog. Once it finally cleared, however, all of the people in the stadium saw that Paul's Drapion was now lying on the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Drapion is unable to battle!" The referee proclaimed. "Gliscor is the winner!"

Ash, Pikachu, and Gliscor all smiled in relief. After much fierce battling, including a time when Drapion had poisoned the Fang Scorp Pokémon, they had managed to pull out of the second round victorious.

"Great work, Gliscor," Ash said as he held out the former's Pokéball and returned it back into the device. Once the Ground/Flying-type had disappeared from sight, Ash turned to face his rival.

Paul had just finished recalling his fallen Pokémon as well before returning Ash's intense stare.

Now that the second round of their battle was over, they were both tied with one win each. It would now take one more battle to decide who would continue on in the World Tournament. As always, both trainers were ready to give it their all.

"Pikachu," Ash said while looking down at the Electric-type that stood by his side. "Are you ready?"

Pikachu nodded, giving him what Ash decided was a thumbs-up before it ran out onto the field.

"Electivire, standby for battle!" Paul yelled as he threw a Pokéball into the air.

Bursting from the ball in a blaze of blue light was a large, familiar-looking humanoid Pokémon whose body was covered in yellow fur with black stripes all over it.

As soon as the Thunderbolt Pokémon's devious red eyes fell upon the small but powerful opponent that stood before it, a menacing smile of glee appeared onto its face.

"Vire," Electivire grunted, cracking its knuckles eagerly.

"Pika," Pikachu growled back. As it glared at its opponent, small sparks of yellow electricity began to dance across Pikachu's red cheeks.

"This is the final round of this battle!" The referee reminded them. "The victory will go to whoever manages to win this match. Now, if both trainers are ready, you may begin!"

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Ash shouted.

A white outline suddenly surrounded Pikachu's body before it took off towards its opponent with a blinding speed. As it ran, a silver trail of energy followed the yellow mouse's body.

"Protect!" Paul quickly told his Pokémon.

Electivire put its arms in front of its face and its body started to glow yellow-green. Then, a green force field surrounded its body, causing Pikachu to end up crashing into the sphere.

Pikachu rubbed its head to try and lessen the slight pain that it had received from the impact. All the while, it glared up at Electivire, who seemed to be mocking it with its goofy grin.

"Electivire, now use Brick Break!" Paul commanded.

Electivire's forearm flashed white before the arm became surrounded in white sparks. It then jumped up as it prepared to come down and karate chop Pikachu.

"Pikachu, block it with Iron Tail!" Ash instructed.

Pikachu's tail began to sparkle white and it soon gained a white outline. The Electric-type's tail then turned to iron as it jumped into the air and somersaulted into Electivire's attack.

Sparks flew as the two attacks continued to push up against one another. Eventually, the force became too much and the two opponents were knocked apart.

Somehow, both managed to easily land back down onto the ground on their feet as they got ready to continue the battle. Ash began to notice, however, that Paul had a confident smile on his face.

"If I remember correctly," The purple-haired trainer began, "your Pikachu only has two moves that it can actually use against Electivire without activating its Motor Drive ability: Quick Attack and Iron Tail. Unless it has some other non-Electric-typed moves, your Pikachu is at a disadvantage."

"Well, it's a good thing that Pikachu has learned a few new moves just for the occasion," Ash replied to Paul's surprise. "Pikachu, use Focus Punch!"

"What?" Paul's eyes widened in shock.

"Pika-chu!" Pikachu yelled as it jumped up at Electivire and punched it in the jaw with a glowing blue fist. The force of the punch caused the Electric-type to stumble back in pain.

"Follow it up with another Quick Attack!" Ash ordered.

"Block it with another Protect!" Paul smirked.

As Pikachu ran towards Electivire at a fast speed, the latter created a green force field around its body with an amused look on its face.

"So much for new moves," Paul said as he waited for Pikachu to crash into Electivire's force field again. "You haven't learned a thing."

"Haven't we?" Ash asked with a raised eyebrow. "Pikachu, break through that shield with Feint!"

Pikachu's tail began to glow white as it got closer to Electivire. Then, it jumped and somersaulted into Electivire's shield. It slammed its tail against the shield and effectively destroyed the barrier.

"No!" Paul growled in anger.

"Now hit it with Toxic!" Ash hollered out.

The end of Pikachu's tail took on a purple glow as continued flipping towards Electivire and struck it in the chest with the point of its tail.

"Vire!" Electivire cried out as its body took on a purple glow and purple static caused it pain.

"Sweet! We poisoned it!" Ash fist-pumped happily.

"Pika-chu!" Pikachu said with a peace sign while still standing near Electivire.

Things looked bad for Electivire, but strangely, Paul looked pleased.

"Perfect," Paul sneered. "Time to show them _our _new move. Use Façade!"

White electricity sparkled around Electivire's body and it became surrounded in an orange aura that made its body shine. Then, catching Pikachu off guard, it threw a punch at it, sending it flying.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out in pain as it flew back to its side of the battlefield. Eventually, it crash landed a few feet in front of Ash.

"Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed in shock. "Are you okay?"

"Chu," Pikachu nodded. It seemed okay, but in reality, that Façade attack had caused it a lot of damage.

"We're going to have to end this fast," Ash told it. "Electivire may be poisoned, but that Façade attack could cause a lot of damage. You think you can do it?"

Pikachu gave him a nod and a thumbs-up before running back onto the field. Things were about to get serious.

"Electivire, use ThunderPunch!" Paul hollered out.

Electivire began sprinting towards Pikachu with its fist cloaked in yellow electricity.

"Pikachu, stop it with Focus Punch!" Ash instructed.

As Electivire threw a super-charged punch at the Electric Mouse Pokémon, Pikachu ran and jumped towards it, punching against Electivire's fist with its own glowing light blue one.

"Use Brick Break with your other hand!" Paul called out.

"Block it with Iron Tail!" Ash quickly shouted.

While Electivire pulled back one hand and prepared to strike with the other, Pikachu managed to stay airborne when flipping at it. Seconds later, hand met tail, causing intense sparks as they pushed against one another.

Once the force became too much, the two were blown back a few feet to the ground. This time, however, they both crashed into the ground.

"Pika," Pikachu winced as it tried to pull itself up off of the ground.

It looked up to see that Electivire was already standing and cringing as its body lit up in purple light. The poisoning was taking a dire effect upon the Electric-type, but yet it still stood.

"This battle ends now, Ketchum," Paul said with a serious look on its face. "Use Thunderbolt!"

The balls on the ends of Electivire's antennae became surrounded by yellow electricity. Then, its whole body became engulfed in electricity and it fired a blast of lightning from its body at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash bellowed.

"Pika-chuuuuuuu!" Pikachu cried out as it released a massive bolt of electricity from its cheeks.

As the two attacks collided, a huge surge of electricity began to build up as the two Electric-types continued to fire their Thunderbolt attacks continued to hit one another.

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled in fear. The raven-haired trainer knew if that those attacks exploded, Pikachu could be seriously injured.

Without even thinking, he ran out onto the field towards Pikachu just as Electivire's Thunderbolt pushed overwhelmed Pikachu's. Unfortunately, the electrical attack continued flying and hit the only person that was standing between it and the wall: Ash.

"AHHHHH!" Ash screamed in intense pain as the electricity traveled through his entire body, electrocuting him. Once the attack ceased, everyone gasped as Ash slowly fell back to the ground.

As his body touched the dirt field, Ash could only faintly hear several gasps and screams while his vision faded and the world turned to black.

* * *

…

…

…

_"Is something the matter?"_

…

_"I've had… a vision…"_

_"Really? What did you see?"_

_"Light… lots of light, two powerful forces colliding."_

_"Is that all?"_

…

_"No… there was a boy… he was injured by the light…"_

_"Was he alright?"_

_"No… there was… blood… he didn't make it through alive."_

…

_"It's a shame…"_

_"It was the boy with the Pikachu."_

_"What! __**The **__boy with the Pikachu?"_

_"Indeed… I must intervene."_

_"But… But how?"_

_"The mind can be restored while he's mentally somewhere else."_

_"Where?"_

…

_"A parallel universe."_

* * *

**So how was it? We hope that you guys enjoyed this first chapter.  
**

**This story is based on that short-lived television series on NBC by the same name. The Shiny Gengar is the one that came up with this awesome idea, so most of the praise and applause should go to him! And I can tell you now: this story is going to be amazing!  
**

**Now, to answer the question that's on everyone's minds: How is this collaboration story going to work? Well, I wrote this first chapter with a small bit of it written by The Shiny Gengar. However, the next chapter will be written by The Shiny Gengar. Basically, we'll alternate with each chapter. We're really excited about this and hope that you will like this story. Also, if you would like to keep up with each one of our other stories, including my upcoming movie fic, "Kyurem and the Hero's Sword", I'd suggest that you put both of us on Author Alert.  
**

**Anyways, until next time, read and review!  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**So, I'm The Shiny Gengar, and I wrote most of this chapter.**

**And I'm going to say this now, don't be scared away by this chapter, Pearlshippers. You'll get plenty of Dawn and Ash action next chapter, Pichu and I will be sure to even it out with the Advanceshipping.**

**Yep.**

* * *

Chapter 2

***Beep***

***Beep***

***Beep***

Ash's hand twitched, his face twisted into a cringe. Though his eyes were closed, he heard a gasp and movement. Subconsciously, he let out a soft groan, he felt as if every muscle in his body was on fire.

"Ash?" a soft, feminine voice whispered, sending a chill down his spine.

Ash swallowed and took a deep breath, forcing his eyes open a little. His vision was extremely blurry, and the harsh light virtually blinded him. He glanced to his left and noticed a slender figure bending over him. His vision was too blurry to see its face, but it appeared to have a white hat and long blue hair.

He felt something grasp his hand, causing him to glance down. He saw the figure was gently holding onto it. When he looked back up, the figure had on a green hat, and had long brown hair.

"Ash?" the voice asked again, squeezing his hand a little. He enjoyed the warm touch. Ash finally opened his eyes enough to see clearly, blinking several times to clear his vision.

"Ash!" The voice said joyfully.

Suddenly he felt weight against his body, and two arms wrap around his torso. He glanced down and saw a familiar green bandana.

"M-May?" Ash stammered. He once again felt the warmth of her body, which seemed to sooth the pain burning inside him. But the brown haired girl didn't answer Ash. She hugged him tightly, crying softly as she buried her face in his chest.

"Hey, it's okay," Ash said. He found the strength in his arms enough to hug the female, intertwining his fingers as his arms wrapped around her thin frame. He held onto her as she continued to cry, he could feel her tears dampening the hospital robe covering his body.

"You jerk..." May said, her voice muffled. "I thought I was going to lose you." She hugged him tighter.

"I-I'm sorry May," Ash stammered. "But... Um... What happened?"

May finally let go of the teen and stood up straight.

"Do you not remember?" She asked, sniffing and wiping her damp eyes with the back of her hand. "You ran out onto the field and were hit by Pikachu's Thunderbolt."

Ash's eyes widened at the mention of his beloved partner.

"Pikachu!" he exclaimed. He planted his hands onto the bed and tried to push himself up. His arms failed him and he fell backward onto his back.

"Calm down," May said gently, her wave of emotion seemed to have passed. "You're still weak, you have to rest and recover your strength."

Ash took a deep breath. "Pikachu..." he said again, "Is he okay?"

May nodded, "He's fine, he's out with Brock," she told him. Ash let out a sigh of relief.

"How long have I been out?" Ash asked, glancing around the room, looking for a clock.

May stepped over to a wooden chair sitting in a dark corner and pulled it to Ash's bedside.

"Less than a day," She said, sitting down in the chair she had pulled up. "It's early morning right now."

Ash scratched his forehead; he could feel a light tingling sensation within his skull. "And my battle?" he asked.

May shook her head. "Pikachu's attack hit you, so you were disqualified," she said sadly, once again grasping his hand and giving it a light squeeze.

"Oh," Ash said, his expression falling to disappointment. He had failed.

May saw the disappointment on his face. She smiled sadly and leaned over the bed, their lips coming into contact. They stayed like that for a few seconds before parting. May then took a deep breath.

"I'm just glad you're okay," she whispered, squeezing his hand comfortingly again.

The door clicked and a young nurse peeked into the room.

"Mr. Ketchum, I see you're awake," She said with a smile. "You have a visitor."

Ash and May exchanged glances. Ash nodded his head.

"Send him in," May said, twisting around to see who it was. The light tapping of footsteps could be heard as a young purple haired trainer stepped in, his hands in his pockets.

"Paul?" Ash asked, "What are you doing here?"

Paul stepped up to the bedside and sighed. "Well you kind of blacked out during our battle," he said, "Even a cold hearted guy like me can be a little concerned."

Ash grinned a little.

"Thanks," He said gratefully. "Say, when's your next battle?"

Paul dug through his pocket and pulled out a Pokédex. He flipped it open, causing the screen to light up. He glanced at the time in the corner of the screen before flipping the Pokédex shut. "About an hour," he said. "Come and watch it if you can."

With that, Paul turned around walked out of the room, his footsteps progressively softened as his distance grew.

"What's gotten into him?" Ash asked, "He's actually a little caring at the moment..."

May giggled. "He's not the same Paul you battled in the Lily of the Valley Conference."

Ash took a deep breath.

"I guess so," He sighed. He planted his hands firmly on the bed and once again tried to sit up, but May laid a hand on his chest and gently pushed him back down.

"You need to take it easy," She told him, keeping her hand on him.

"But Paul's battle..." Ash grumbled urgently. "I want to watch it."

May glanced over at the door before turning her attention back to Ash.

"Well, we'll see what the nurse says when she comes back," She said with a sigh. "If she gives the okay, we'll go."

Ash huffed and his brow furrowed, "Yes, mother."

May scowled and crossed her arms.

"I'm just worried!" She exclaimed.

Ash put on a comforting smile.

"Calm down," he said, grabbing her hand, "I've been hit by Pikachu's Thunder Bolts before."

May remained silent for a moment, gasping Ash's hand. "Well, this one was different," she said, "It was far more powerful than any attack he's hit you with before."

"Pika?" They suddenly heard a high-pitched voice squeak.

May twisted around and glanced at the door.

"Well speak of the devil," she said with a grin, seeing Brock and Pikachu standing in the door.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu exclaimed, racing across the room and leaping up onto Ash's bed.

"Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed happily, hugging his Pokémon.

"Well would you look at who's finally up," Brock said as he stepped over to the bed next to May. He put his hands on his hips and grinned. "How are you feeling Ash?"

Ash took a deep breath. "I've been better," he said, "But I don't feel terrible."

Brock folded his arms across his chest similar to May. "Well that's good, you took a pretty bad hit from Pikachu's Thunderbolt attack," he said.

Pikachu's ears drooped and he averted his gaze downward. "Pika-pika," he apologized sadly.

Ash hugged his Pokémon.

"It's fine Pikachu," he said reassuringly. "I'm just glad you're okay."

As he ruffled the yellow fur on Pikachu's forehead, a nurse popped her head through the door. "Mr. Ketchum? I see you're finally awake."

Ash gave her a thumbs-up and a wide grin that came naturally to him.

"Yeah, and I think I'm ready to leave too," he tried to push himself back up; bust failed, and fell back down.

"I see," The nurse said with a snicker as she studied some notes on a clip board she was holding. "We'll have to run a more few tests, but you'll probably be good to go."

* * *

"I'm so glad I'm out of there," Ash said gratefully. He and his friends were just leaving the hospital. He was sitting in a wheelchair with Pikachu in his lap.

"I don't think they would have let you out if you had stopped begging," May said, she was behind the wheelchair, pushing it away from the large hospital that towered over them,

"Yeah, and if you just relax, you'll be out of that wheelchair in no time," Brock said with a smile, walking alongside the two teens.

Ash craned his next to look over at the girl behind him.

"Hey, May, you didn't tell me how the Grand Festival went," He said, remembering that she had forgotten to tell him the night before the accident.

May inhaled and was about to speak, but a tall man wearing glasses interrupted.

"Hey, Ash!" The man said. He had midnight green hair that ran down over his ears, and wore a green shirt with a green vest. On his face was the familiar stalker like smirk Ash had grown familiar to.

"Hey, Conway," Ash said, shifting uncomfortably in his wheelchair. "What brings you here?"

Conway's smirk grew and he crossed his arms.

"This is a Pokémon league for ultimate trainers," he said, "And of course..."

He readjusted his glasses, causing the sun to reflect off them so they glowed in an eerie way, "... I am an ultimate trainer."

A shiver ran down May's spine as Conway spoke, catching the male's attention.

"And who is this?" He asked. "I don't believe we've met."

Ash gestured to May and said, "Conway, this is May. My girlfriend."

Conway gasped, but his smirk quickly returned to his face.

"I never knew ol' Ash had it in him," He said, "I always thought he would end up with Dawn."

May twitched.

"My name is Conway," he said, bowing slightly before offering his hand to May. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

May looked at the hand for a few seconds before slowly grabbing it, in which Conway vigorously shook.

"I-i-it's n-i-i-i-ce to-o-o me-e-e-et y-y-o-ou," May said as Conway shook her hand.

Conway let go of May, much to the girl's relief, and he turned his attention back to Ash.

"I saw what happened with Pikachu yesterday, Ash," Conway said, he closed his eyes and patted his heart, "That was a real tear breaker, what you selflessly did out there."

Ash exchanged glances with May and Brock. "Thanks... Conway..." he said.

"Anywhos," Conway continued, "It's a cryin' shame you were disqualified because of it. I was hoping to get my battle with you for first time since the Lily of the Valley conference."

Ash raised a brow.

"Well, it doesn't matter, winning this thing will be victory enough," Conway said smugly, flicking his hair from his face, "Of course, I've come up with the ultimate strategy, so I'll be unstoppable!"

"Who are up against?" Brock asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

"Ah, another one of Ash's friends," Conway said, "The infamous Paul!"

...

"Pika-pika?" Pikachu asked

"I think infamous is a bit of an exaggeration," Ash said with a shrug, but a smile came to his face, "But it'll be cool seeing you battle with Paul!"

"Yeah, I'm sure it'll be a great battle," Brock said, a smile also on his face "It's a good thing we'll be there to watch it."

"Paul is a tough opponent, though," May said, "Aren't you a little worried."

Conway tapped the side of his head, "I wouldn't worry too much, babe, I've got a plan."

"Babe?" May muttered quietly, a scowl now on her face.

"Well, I gotta pep talk my team now," Conway said, readjusted his glasses and reflecting the sun again. "Toodles, everyone."

...

"He's a strange one," May said, shivering again, "He kind of reminds me of Harley."

Ash took a deep breath, "That's Conway for you..."

"Pika-pikachu..." Pikachu agreed.

* * *

"Hello, everyone! And welcome to the second round on the red field!" the announcer shouted into a microphone, her voice blasting across the field.

On one end of the field stood Paul, who casually stood with his hands in his pockets. While on the other end, Conway stood, arms crossed and a familiar smug look on his face.

"Both of them seem pretty confident," Brock said as he observed the scene. "Who are you rooting for?"

"Paul," May said, without even the slightest bit of hesitance. "That Conway guy is creepy." As she spoke, another shiver ran her spine.

Ash chuckled and stroked Pikachu's fur. "Yeah, Conway is a bit of an oddball," he said.

"This will be a two on two double battle between the two contestants," the referee said, "The battler to knock out all of his opponent's Pokémon first will be declared the winner. Are both trainers ready?"

Paul and Conway nodded in sync. "Ready," They said together.

"Begin!"

Conway pulled out two Pokéballs and threw them into the air. "Shuckle! Dusknoir! Go!"

"Ninjask! Drapion! I need your assistance!" Paul exclaimed as he also released his Pokémon.

The four Pokémon appeared onto the field, all taking a battle stance. On Conway's side, an eerie grey ghost type floated over the ground, while sitting next to it, a red shell sat. On the shell were white spots each with a hole. The shell shook a little before a yellow head and a set of four limbs popped out of the shell.

On the opposite side, a bug type flew above the ground, zipping around his team mate, a large Purple Pokémon. It had long arms, and a scorpion like figure. Four short legs kept it balanced and its tail swung menacingly. The intimidating look on its face was just asking for a fight.

"Perfect," Conway said, he intertwined his fingers and stretched his arms forward, cracking his knuckles. "Dusknoir! Trick Room!"

A large glowing box surrounded the entire field, letting out a low hum.

"Hey, looks like Conway is using the same strategy he used on you in the Lily of the Valley conference," Brock said, crossing his arms over his chest. "This isn't good for Paul."

"Ninjask! Use X-Scissor!" Paul exclaimed.

But Ninjask was having trouble. The wings on its back began to slow, and it fell to the ground. "Ninjask!" Paul exclaimed.

"Shuckle! Rollout!" Conway exclaimed.

In blinding speed, Shuckle shot across the field and rammed into Ninjask, sending the bug type flying.

"Wow," Brock said, his eye almost widening. "This **really **isn't good for Paul."

"What's wrong with Ninjask?" May asked, scratching her head.

"Trick Room manipulates speed," Brock explained, "It makes fast Pokémon go slow and slow Pokémon go fast."

"But why can't Ninjask fly?" Ash asked, watching the battle intently.

Brock took a deep breath. "Ninjask is one of the fastest known Pokémon," Brock said, "Trick Room brought its speed down so drastically, it can't flap its wings fast enough to fly and carry its own weight."

May gasped and stood up. "Come on Ninjask!" she exclaimed, "You gotta beat Conway!"

"What can Paul do?" Ash asked, adjusting his position in his wheelchair.

Brock shrugged in indifference.

"I don't know. Ninjask rely on their ability to fly," He said, deep in thought. "Plus, Shuckle is one of the slowest known Pokémon, so it'll be deadly fast."

"Wow, talk about how tides can turn," Ash said.

"Pika-pika," Pikachu agreed.

"Ninjask! Double Team! Drapion, Poison Spikes!" Paul exclaimed.

Drapion nodded and swung his tail, sending poisonous ninja stars at the ground on Conway's side of the field.

"Shuckle! Rollout!" Conway said, "Dusknoir, Fire Punch!"

Shuckle once again retreated into his shell and dashed at Ninjask, in the process running over a few poison spikes. It slammed into Ninjask again, and popped out of its shell, it didn't look like it felt very good. Dusknoir charged at Ninjask as well, with Trick Room in effect, it was able to move much faster. Its fist burst into flames, and it slammed it into Ninjask, but the bug type simply disappeared, it had already performed Double Team, several Ninjask clones appeared on the field.

In the process of trying to attack Ninjask with Fire Punch, Dusknoir came into contact with one of Drapion's toxic spikes, and was poisoned as well.

"Paul gained a little bit of an edge," Brock said, "Conway's Pokémon will be weakened a little while they're poisoned."

"Ninjask! Sand Attack!" Paul said.

One of the duplicate Ninjask shot sand in Shuckle's face, causing the poisoned Pokémon to cry out in pain.

"Dusknoir! Hit that one with Fire Punch!" Conway said, pointing to the Ninjask who had attacked. Dusknoir's fist once again burst into flames, and he threw a punch at the Ninjask that had used Sand Attack. The fist and the Pokémon collided, sending Ninjask into the sky, so high that it flew out the Trick Room box surrounding the field.

"Hey, look!" May exclaimed, pointing up at Ninjask, its wings once again began to flutter, faster and faster.

"Now that Ninjask out of the Trick Room box, it's not affected by it," Brock said in surprise. "He might be able to attack from afar."

"Ninjask! Stay up there and use Shadow Ball!" Paul exclaimed, pointing at Dusknoir, "Drapion, Bind on Shuckle!"

"Dodge it with Roll Out!" Conway exclaimed. Shuckle retreated into his shell and shot forward, dodging the Shadow Ball and evading Drapion's grasp. "Dusknoir, send Shuckle at Ninjask!"

Shuckle flew at Dusknoir, whose hand was balled up into a fist; it performed an uppercut on Shuckle, sending the speedy rock type into the sky.

"Nin!" Ninjask exclaimed right before being nailed by Shuckle. It lost its flight and tumbled back into the Trick Room box with Shuckle.

Returning to the ground, the Trick Room took effect again, and Ninjask was unable to fly.

"Drapion! Throw Ninjask back into the sky!" Paul ordered.

"Shuckle! Roll out again! Dusknoir! Stop Drapion with Fire Punch!" Conway said.

As Drapion approached Ninjask, also slowed down by Trick Room, Dusknoir appeared next to it and slugged him with the fire type attack. Shuckle rolled towards Ninjask and once again hit the bug type.

Ninjask flew across the field, and landed with a boom, swirls over its eyes.

"Ninjask is unable to battle!" The referee announced. A few fans of Conway began to cheer.

"BOOOO!" May shouted, managing to overpower the crowd. Ash and Pikachu, who were right next to her, jumped and covered their ears.

"Things aren't looking good," Ash said, "Paul's behind."

"Not necessarily," Brock said, smile and sitting back in his chair, "Don't forget. Toxic Spikes and Poison have been eating away at Shuckle and Dusknoir's health."

Indeed, Dusknoir and Shuckle were breathing heavily. "Shuckle Roll Out!" Conway said for the umpteenth time.

"Send it at Dusknoir!" Paul said.

Luckily, Drapion had enough time to swing is arm and send Shuckle flying into Dusknoir.

Suddenly, the glowing box disappeared.

"Looks like Trick Room finally wore off," Brock observed.

"Drapion! Now's our chance!" Paul exclaimed, "Crunch on Dusknoir!"

Conway pointed out into the field, the smirk and confidence on his face has disappeared and was replaced with determination. "Shuckle, Stop Drapion! Dusknoir, use Trick Room!"

Time seemed to move slow as Dusknoir prepared to put up Trick Room again. Drapion shot forward, leaping over Shuckle as it attempted to attack. It landed again and bit down on Dusknoir, fling it into the air and slamming it into the ground. When the dust around Dusknoir disappeared, everyone could see the swirls over the ghost type's eyes.

"Dusknoir is unable to battle!" The referee exclaimed. The people who were rooting for Paul burst into roars of cheers and applause.

"Paul's back in the game," Ash said.

"Take that, Conway!" May shouted.

Ash and Brock grimaced. "You really don't like Conway, do you," Ash shouted, trying to overpower the roaring crowd.

"Yeah, because he's a creep!" May shouted, "Besides, isn't Paul in a rel- Oh look at that!" She broke off in mid-sentence, pointing at the field.

"Drapion! Giga Impact!" Paul ordered. Drapion shot forward and rammed into Shuckle hard. The impact was so strong; Ash could have sworn he heard something crack. Shuckle was sent flying backwards and into the wall, knocked out.

"Shuckle is unable to battle!" The referee said, "Paul and his team of Drapion and Ninjask are the winners!"

May stood up from her seat clapping and cheering for Paul with the rest of the crowd. Conway sighed and walked over to Shuckle, when he saw it; he panicked and quickly returned the Pokémon, rushing off out of the field.

"Hey, I think something is wrong with Conway and Shuckle," Ash said as he observed the man running out of site. Paul simply returned Drapion and walked off the field, paying no heed to the cheering crowd.

"I want to go check on Conway," Ash said, trying to move his wheelchair around. "He seemed to be concerned about something."

May frowned, but when she looked at Brock, the man nodded.

"Okay," she sighed, grabbing the wheelchair's handles, "Let's go."

* * *

When they reached the stadium's Pokémon Center, they were surprised to see Paul casually leaning against the wall, checking the door to the emergency room every now and then.

"Paul? Did one of your Pokémon get badly hurt?" Ash asked.

The trainer shook his head, pointing his thumb to the door.

"It's Shuckle..." He said simply.

Conway stepped out of the door, a bit of concern on his face.

"Conway, what happened?" Ash asked, grabbing a hold of the wheels on the wheel chair and rolling over to him.

"That last attack, the Giga Impact," Conway began, rubbing his rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand. "It hurt Shuckle pretty badly, there's a crack in his shell and everything."

May gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. "The poor thing," she said, concern in her eyes.

Conway glared at her with a look of intense dislike.

"What would you care? You were cheering against me the whole time," he said, distaste in his voice, "I heard all your shouts."

...

"Told you that you were loud," Ash mumbled under his breath.

May was speechless she didn't know what to say. Luckily, Paul saved her and broke the silence.

"I'm sorry about what happened to Shuckle, Conway," Paul said, arms folded across his chest, "I didn't think Giga Impact would hurt it so badly."

Conway sighed and turned to Paul. May silently backed up, standing beside Ash. She grabbed his hand and held onto it, guilt was written across her face.

"Yeah, it's fine," Conway said, gesturing to Paul's Pokéballs, "Your Drapion must have been really well trained to get pasted Shuckle's defense like that."

Paul smirked and looked down at the Poison/Dark-type's Pokéball.

"Oh yeah, it's the best," He said confidently.

* * *

The day had gone by fairly quickly for Ash. He sighed as he watched the sun setting in the distance.

He glanced over at his girlfriend, who was sitting across a small, dirty table. They were sitting outside of an ice cream shop; each had a cone in hand while Pikachu ate from a bowl on the table. Brock had gone off somewhere, leaving Ash, May, and Pikachu to themselves.

"May, you've been really quiet lately," Ash said before licking his cone, "Is something the matter?"

May, who had her head resting in her hand, smiled wearily. "Oh, I just feel bad," she said, slowly licking her cone.

"Conway?" Ash asked. She nodded, sniffing a little. He figured it would be best to change the subject; a smile grew on his face. "Hey, how did the Grand Festival go?" Ash asked.

May's expression didn't change. "Um... It was interesting..." she told him.

Ash laughed. "I know that already," He said, "how'd you do?"

...

...

...

"May?" Ash asked, concern laced in his voice when she didn't respond. She didn't look him in the eye, and rather focused on her ice cream.

"I don't want to talk about it right now," she said, blinking several times.

Ash reached out and grabbed her hand; he had noticed she had reached for his hand several times throughout the day as a source of comfort.

"Hey," he said, looking at the girl, "it doesn't matter how far you got, I'm still really proud of you..."

May wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I-I know," she said, smile at him sadly, "It's just with Conway and all... I don't feel like talking about it..."

Ash exchanged glances with Pikachu. It was obvious she hadn't won, but it sounded like there was more to it than that.

"I understand," Ash said, putting a comforting smile on his face.

May smiled and took a deep breath before licking her cone again.

"So how about you?" she asked, "You seem to be taking your loss fine."

_Ouch._

"Pika-pika," Pikachu sighed, ears drooping.

"Um... Yeah..." Ash muttered quietly, a frown growing on his face as he turned his gaze to the ground, "I would have liked to have gotten farther..."

Now it was May's turned to grab Ash's hand.

"Hey," She said with a caring smile. "It's alright; you don't have to be a Pokémon Master today, just be Ash."

Ash raised a brow. "What do you mean?" he asked.

May smirked, "What would the _real_ Ash do about this?"

...

"Um..."

May stood up leaned across the table, the smirk growing into a genuine smile.

"The _real_ Ash would get over his loss, and kiss me," she said coyly.

Before Ash could respond, May leaned forward, locking their lips together. Ash could taste the strawberry ice cream on her lips. He hated strawberry ice cream, but it didn't matter this time.

When they broke apart, May smiled comfortingly at him. "I feel better already," Ash said with a grin.

"Pika," Pikachu huffed, crossing his arms.

"Aww, would you like a kiss too?" May asked, reaching towards the electric mouse.

"Chu!" Pikachu exclaimed as his eyes grew wide. He hopped off the table and ran away, leaving Ash and May to laugh together.

* * *

Ash sat quietly at the edge of his bed with Pikachu, the sun had lowered behind the many buildings and the star lit up the sky.

"It's been a crazy day," May said as she stepped into the room. She sat down next to Ash, careful not to accidentally sit on Pikachu. "To think this morning you... You were..."

Ash wrapped a comforting arm around May's shoulders, causing her to lean towards him, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Don't do that again," she told him. "I was really scared."

"Just don't think about it," Ash told her. The three sat there quietly for several minutes until Ash let out a yawn. May smiled at him and stood up.

"You've had a long day," May said, "Get some rest." She gently kissed him on the forehead before walking out of the room, turning off the light for the young trainer.

Although his eyes were still adjusting to the dark, Ash smiled down at Pikachu, who was already cuddling up into his bed.

With a sigh, Ash did the same, falling to sleep merely seconds after his head hit the pillow.

* * *

"_Well?"_

_"The boy lives."_

_"Thank Arceus."_

_"Indeed, it wasn't easy, but preparation for fully restoring his mind has begun"_

_"Preparation?"_

_"I want to see how he reacts to what's about to occur, it will mess with his very sanity."_

_"How will he hold on?"_

_"The females... they are his only handle."_

* * *

**I promise you this, things will only get more confusing next chapter. XD**


End file.
